Colorado Checkup: January 2024
Where Are the Nation’s Primary Care Providers? It’s Not an Easy Answer
Rae Ellen Bichell
Politicians keep talking about fixing primary care shortages. But flawed national data leaves big holes in how to evaluate which policies are effective.
What’s Indoor Air Quality Like in Long-Term Care Facilities During Wildfires? Worse Than You’d Think.
Kylie Mohr
As climate change-driven wildfires increasingly choke large parts of the United States with smoke each summer, new research shows residents in long-term care facilities are being exposed to dangerously poor air, even those who don’t set foot outside during smoke events.
Rural Hospitals Are Caught in an Aging-Infrastructure Conundrum
Markian Hawryluk
Small, community hospitals face challenges in paying for the capital improvement projects they need to stay open.
California Offers a Lifeline for Medical Residents Who Can’t Find Abortion Training
Laurie Udesky
Abortion restrictions in 18 states have curtailed access to training in skills that doctors say are critical for OB-GYN specialists and others. A new California law makes it easier for out-of-state doctors to get experience in reproductive medicine.
Rising Malpractice Premiums Price Small Clinics Out of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Cecilia Nowell
Even in states where laws protect minors’ access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.
States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
Samantha Young
The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.
Can Family Doctors Deliver Rural America From Its Maternal Health Crisis?
Sarah Jane Tribble
Family medicine doctors already deliver most of rural America's babies, and efforts to train more in obstetrics care are seen as a way to cope with labor and delivery unit closures.
States Expand Health Coverage for Immigrants as GOP Hits Biden Over Border Crossings
Phil Galewitz
More than 1 million immigrants, most lacking permanent legal status, are covered by state health programs. Several states, including GOP-led Utah, will soon add or expand such coverage.